“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you.

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me and I in you.” (NKJV).

Yesterday was the day of Pentecost, and as I woke up and said “Happy Birthday, Holy Spirit”! I felt as though He replied that it was not His birthday but His “earth day” – the day He was poured out on the apostles and followers of Jesus, and became available to anyone who believes! He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother. He is Christ in us, the hope of Glory. He is our connection to Heaven!

When Jesus said these words, He was spending time with His disciples, preparing them for His exit from the earth. He knew it grieved them to speak of His parting, and He reassured them that He was not going to leave them alone, feeling orphaned and abandoned. When He went to prepare a place for them (and us), He and the Father agreed to ‘send’ the third person of the Trinity to be the Helper, the blessed paraclete to be with us and walk us towards the greater love and greater works Jesus opened for us. In the past, the Holy Spirit had only been given to those few chosen prophets who spoke God’s heart to man. However, when the body of Jesus was broken at Calvary, He broke not only the power of sin and Satan over humankind; He also rent the veil, the blinding wall that stood between God and man, between heaven and earth. He made open the way for us all to know the blessed Holy Spirit in our daily lives, and walk in the supernatural power of heaven. Friend, wherever you are in your walk with God, you need His Holy Spirit, (or more of His Spirit). He makes our walk a clean, powerful, joyful experience, and keeps us
connected to the Father.

• The Father, Jesus, and the blessed Spirit are one, and Jesus said that He would pray to the Father on our behalf. It is only through faith in Jesus, and worshipping and identifying with Him that we can experience more of the Spirit. It is Jesus who baptizes us with His Holy Spirit.

• The sweet Spirit is looking for a deep, abiding, permanent relationship, and not a few shallow dates with us! He comes upon our lives with the intention of staying forever. He promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. The more we seek Him and interact with Him, the more He comes and makes His presence known. My favorite prayer is always “Come Holy Spirit” – He always responds!

• He is the “Helper”. He facilitates, enables, and empowers us. He brings the “Amen” to “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. Whatever your struggle, He will help you overcome it. He helps the children of God to stop doing what they want to stop, and to do with power the things they need to do. He is the Helper! He is delighted to be involved in our lives, and whatever you call Him into, He enters and empowers, even when it is something mundane, like looking for a lost article, or His help to be patient in a difficult situation. I believe He loves most to help us when we pray. Romans 8:26 says “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered.” We can pray in the heavenly language, asking Him to pray through us in whatever situation we are bringing before God. He knows the spiritual dimension better than we do. He sees everything ahead. His prayers are much more impacting and effective!

• He is the Spirit of Truth. Jesus said here that the world cannot see Him or receive Him. This is because the world is living in the deception and under the lie of the evil one. The spirit of blindness which is in the world has deadened the hearts and senses of people to the blessed reality of the sweet Holy Spirit. As long as people reject Jesus (the way, the truth and the life), they will never experience His glory and awesome love. Romans 1:18 says that people have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness, meaning that it is more convenient to stay in sin, refuse a revelation, and live in a lie than to acknowledge the Truth and be changed by it. Sin clouds our vision and blinds us to the reality of the sweet Spirit. Sin and the Spirit cannot live in the same temple together.

• He dwells in the people of God. The precious Spirit comes to live in us when we receive Jesus as Lord. He gives us His peace (John 14:27), and helps us to remember and live in the words of Jesus (John 14:26). He teaches us how to please the Father.

• He helps us to die to ‘self’ and live in Christ. (“Because I live, you will live also”). We continue to experience Jesus on a daily basis because of the reality of the blessed Holy Spirit living in us.

• He makes us a part of the Godhead. Jesus said “you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you”. If we are one with Jesus and the Father through the Spirit, then we have been given a capacity to live far above the dimensions of this earthly life. “He lifts me up to His banqueting table, and His banner over me is love” (Song of Songs 2:4). The sweet Spirit makes this possible!

Dear friend, we need more of the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit. Tap into His heart right now, and speak His name. He longs to come and make Himself known. Pray my favorite prayer: “Come Holy Spirit”, and let Him have access into every part of your life. He wants to help you and hold you. He wants to draw you deeper into the love of God. He wants to fill your life with His power and peace.

May you know all the power of Pentecost and more. May you experience the Pearl of great price, the treasure above all others – the reality and sweetness of the dearest friend any of us could ever have – the beautiful Holy Spirit who loves you so much! Be filled to overflowing, in Jesus’ name, Amen!